Russia-Ukraine war: Russian tankers destroyed in Kyiv; Ukraine pegs number at 80

From war-torn Ukraine, Republic TV on Friday accessed visuals that depict damaged and destroyed Russian tanks lying on ground zero. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar claim that Russia has suffered massive losses, which includes up to 80 tankers. Also included in the losses are 10 aircraft, 7 helicopters, 516 types of armoured combat vehicles and 2,800 army personnel, as per Malyar. 

Russia has launched a full-blown attack on Ukraine, with Russian forces entering the Obolon district in Kyiv. Republic TV has learnt that the Ukraine forces are putting up a tough fight against their Russian counterparts in the region, which is less than 10 km away from Central Kyiv- the government’s seat of power. Reports suggest that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been moved to a bunker, and in the latest update, he has called on Vladimir Putin to sit down for talks. According to state-run media, Putin has agreed to send a delegation to Minsk for negotiations with Ukraine. Russian diplomatic delegation, including Foreign Ministry, Defence and Administration officials, could be sent to Minsk. 

Why did Russia invade Ukraine? 

Ukraine was a cornerstone of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The country was the second–most populous and powerful of the fifteen Soviet republics, the hub of the union’s agricultural production, defence industries, and military, including the Black Sea Fleet and some of the nuclear arsenal. Nearly three decades since the disintegration of the Union, and its independence, Ukraine has sought to forge its own path as a sovereign state. But as a former Soviet republic, Ukraine had deep social and cultural ties with Russia, until 2014. 

Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014 when Ukraine's Kremlin-friendly leader was driven from office by a popular uprising. Moscow responded by annexing the Crimean Peninsula and then backing a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine, where fighting has killed over 14,000 people. 

A 2015 peace deal brokered by France and Germany helped halt large-scale battles, however, regular skirmishes have continued, and efforts to reach a political settlement have stalled. The situation began getting out of control in early 2021. Russia, which had long resisted Ukraine's move towards European institutions, was miffed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urging US President Joe Biden to let the country join NATO.

As a result, Russia started sending troops near the border it shares with Ukraine for training exercises in spring last year and increased it during autumn. By  February, Russia has massed well over 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, as per the US estimates, which warned of an invasion at any time.  On February 24, Russia ordered military operations in Eastern Ukraine's Donbass.

Image: AP